


you were on the other side

by LuckyDiceKirby



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: M/M, Missing Scene, let the boys rest and drink tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 18:59:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10224932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyDiceKirby/pseuds/LuckyDiceKirby
Summary: Lem and Emmanuel have tea together.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This has mild spoilers through episode 14 of Winter in Hieron. 
> 
> It took a great deal of restraint to not call this "that boyfriend +1 forward" and honestly I probably should have??

The tea that Emmanuel brings out to Lem smells lightly of hazelnuts. Emmanuel carried it all the way from Nacre, a small tin smuggled in the very bottom of his pack. He couldn’t bring his bakery, or his friends, or the only life that he's ever known: but at least he could take the smell of home with him.

Lem waits patiently for the tea to steep, bending his head down to sniff at it curiously, careful that his tusks don't knock over the cup. Emmanuel, standing by his chair, can feel his heart squeeze in his chest.

"This smells nice," Lem says, looking up at Emmanuel and smiling. It sits a little awkwardly on his face. 

"Thanks," Emmanuel says, sitting down in the chair beside Lem. He stirs his own tea. "It's from Nacre--I'm not sure if I'll be able to find this blend anywhere else, so I'm trying to savor it while I can."

"Oh. Well, thank you for sharing it with me." Lem takes a tentative sip, closing his eyes. Appreciating it. Emmanuel watches him, leaning his head on one hand. 

He's really very tall. Lem doesn't looks so different from when they first met in Nacre, months ago--Emmanuel supposes he doesn't look much different either, despite the fundamental shift his life has taken since then. 

Emmanuel remembers smoking a cigarette on a balcony with Lem, one short peaceful moment before everything went to hell. It's one of his last untainted memories of Nacre. It felt a lot like Emmanuel feels now, as if he's on the precipice of something, teetering over the edge, a fluttering in his stomach. 

Hopefully this time the city isn't going to start falling down around his ears, he thinks ruefully.

They drink their tea in silence. Emmanuel could ask about the hilt, or the plant, and in a little while he will--but for now he just wants this, a moment to themselves before anything else happens. 

Lem, after he's finished his cup, starts peering around the restaurant. Emmanuel's heart squeezes again. He wonders what it would take, to make Lem stop being so curious about even the most mundane things. Apparently, it would have to be something more than a city falling apart, or an undead curse, or the stars falling from the sky. Lem stands up, and he starts eying a painting hung up on the wall closest to the table. Emmanuel takes the opportunity to find some water for the poor plant, which is still looking a little singed around the edges. 

When he joins Lem, a few minutes later, he's still examining the painting. It depicts an elegant house in a forest Emmanuel doesn't recognize. "I don't know who painted it, or what its provenance is," he tells Lem, smiling despite himself. "I'm still pretty new to Rosemerrow."

Lem straightens, and turns back to Emmanuel. "I figured," he says. "There are a few paintings like this back at the archives--the same style of tree--I thought it might be the same artist, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it doesn't matter." He sticks his hands in his pockets, and then blinks to himself before starting to rummage around. "Ah, I still might have--there!" He pulls out two cigars, triumphantly, and offers one to Emmanuel, rubbing the back of his head a little sheepishly. "Like old times?" he asks.

"Maybe later," Emmanuel says, shaking his head. His throat still feels a little rough after the excitement with the star.

"All right," Lem says agreeably, and puts them away. He hums to himself for a moment. "What you said before, about not being able to turn back, I--that's right, isn't it? I don't think I realized it before. But I--well, I think about you a lot. I looked for you in Velas, once or twice, you know."

Emmanuel smiles. "I'm glad that our paths crossed again. I would have come to Velas eventually, but, well." He spread his arms wide, though not quite wide enough to encompass the mess that is Hieron, these days. "You see how things are."

"I do. I do." Lem looks down, his hands twisting in front of him. He opens his mouth to speak, and then closes it again. He's thrumming like the plucked string of a violin.

Emmanuel puts a hand on Lem's chest, tilting his head back. Lem goes still instantly. "Lem," he says, "I like you very much. But you're going to have to meet me halfway. Do you understand?"

Lem blinks down at him. "Oh," he says, a little dazed. "Yes, I--I think so." He cups the back of Emmanuel's head and leans down, as Emmanuel rises up on his toes. It's a quiet kiss. The fluttering in Emmanuel's stomach settles. He leans in again, wrapping both arms around Lem's neck to help keep his balance. He's _very_ tall. Emmanuel squeaks, just a little, when Lem lifts him by his thighs and puts him down on the table, a few feet away. 

"Oh," Lem says. He steps back a bit. "I'm sorry, was that alright?"

After he rights the empty teacup that he knocked over, Emmanuel reaches out, pulling Lem back in. "It's fine," he says, smiling and shaking his head. "I was just surprised." Lem is still taller than him like this, but it's much easier for Emmanuel to put his hands against Lem's face and kiss him, a little less quiet this time.

When he pulls back, Lem's hand lingers on his face, his thumb brushing Emmanuel's cheekbone. Emmanuel leans into it and closes his eyes. He feels warm down to his toes. A star fell today. The world, Emmanuel is beginning to realize, may be ending. Still, the only thing he can think about is this ridiculous man. 

"I will try," Lem says. Emmanuel opens his eyes again. "Really. I know that I can, well, get caught up in other things quite easily, but you are--there's no one else like you, Emmanuel. And I know a lot of people!"

Emmanuel laughs. He rests his head in the crook of Lem's neck, and the hand on Emmanuel's face slides down to rest against his back, warm and solid. "Thank you, Lem," he says. "I've lived a long time. I've never met anyone like you, either." 

They sit for a while longer. Nothing disastrous happens. Soon enough, Lem leaves, clutching the sword hilt and making his apologies. Emmanuel's heart squeezes a final time, watching him go. But he doesn't wonder if he'll ever see him again. Emmanuel knows that he will.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr or twitter at luckydicekirby, where i am very sad about this podcast!


End file.
